Apparatus and method for preventing tubing casing annulus pressure communication

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9500057-B2
Application number	US-201414327123-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 9, 2014
Priority date	Jul 9, 2014
Publication date	Nov 22, 2016
Grant date	Nov 22, 2016

Abstract

A method of installation of a completion assembly apparatus into a wellbore with a liner hangar packer includes introducing the completion assembly apparatus into the wellbore, where the hybrid sealing assembly couples to the polished bore receiver assembly such that the hybrid sealing assembly is not operable to move laterally within the polished bore receiver assembly, positioning the completion assembly apparatus such that the completion assembly apparatus couples with the liner hangar packer, which establishes fluid communication between the polished bore receiver assembly and a portion of the wellbore downhole from the liner hanger packer, and operating the completion assembly apparatus such that the hybrid sealing assembly decouples from the polished bore receiver assembly such that the hybrid sealing assembly is operable to move laterally within the polished bore receiver assembly. The hybrid sealing assembly includes an unswollen swellable packer operable to swell upon exposure to a swelling material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of installation of a completion assembly apparatus into a wellbore with a liner hangar packer for the production of a hydrocarbon-bearing fluid, the method comprising the steps of:
introducing the completion assembly apparatus into the wellbore, where the completion assembly apparatus includes a polished bore receiver assembly and a hybrid sealing assembly, where the hybrid sealing assembly couples to the polished bore receiver assembly such that the hybrid sealing assembly is not operable to move laterally within the polished bore receiver assembly;
positioning the completion assembly apparatus such that the completion assembly apparatus couples with the liner hangar packer, where coupling the completion assembly apparatus with the liner hangar packer establishes fluid communication between the polished bore receiver assembly and a portion of the wellbore downhole from the liner hanger packer and forms a tubing casing annulus that is exterior to the completion assembly apparatus and uphole of the liner hanger packer; and
operating the completion assembly apparatus such that the hybrid sealing assembly decouples from the polished bore receiver assembly, where the decoupled hybrid sealing assembly is operable to move laterally within the polished bore receiver assembly;
where the hybrid sealing assembly is located within the polished bore receiver assembly and defines an interior of the completion assembly apparatus,
where the polished bore receiver assembly has a smooth interior surface and an internal diameter, and
where the hybrid sealing assembly comprises a shear screw housing having a fluid bypass channel that is operable to convey a fluid between the interior and an exterior of the completion assembly apparatus, an unswollen swellable packer with an elastomeric material that is operable to swell when exposed to a swelling material and a seal stack assembly that is operable to maintain a frictional seal with the smooth interior surface of the polished bore receiver.

2. The method of claim 1 where the completion assembly apparatus includes several shearable screws that couple the polished bore receiver assembly to the shear screw housing of the hybrid sealing assembly and the step of operating the completion assembly apparatus includes shearing the several shearable screws such that a portion of the sheared screws remains in the shear screw housing.

3. The method of claim 1 where the step of operating the completion assembly apparatus includes maintaining a frictional seal of the non-swelling seal sub of the hybrid sealing assembly with the smooth interior surface of the polished bore receiver assembly.

4. The method of claim 1 where the step of operating the completion assembly apparatus includes overpulling the hybrid sealing assembly such that the hybrid sealing assembly decouples from the polished bore receiver assembly.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of stabbing the hybrid sealing assembly into the polished bore receiver assembly such that a frictional seal of the non-swelling seal sub of the hybrid sealing assembly with the smooth interior surface of the polished bore receiver assembly is established.

6. The method of claim 1 where the swelling material is the hydrocarbon-bearing fluid.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of introducing a swelling material into the tubing casing annulus such that the unswollen swellable packer converts into a swollen swellable packer having an external diameter equal to the interior diameter of the polished bore receiver assembly and contacting the smooth interior surface of the polished bore receiver assembly such that a frictional seal forms.

8. The method of claim 7 where the introduction of the swelling material occurs after detecting the hydrocarbon-bearing fluid in the tubing casing annulus.

9. The method of claim 7 where the introduction of the swelling material occurs after detecting a change of temperature in the tubing casing annulus.

10. The method of claim 7 where the introduction of the swelling material occurs after detecting a change in pressure in the tubing casing annulus.

11. The method of claim 7 where the friction seal is operable to provide a pressure rating differential against natural gas at wellbore temperatures of up to and including 10,000 pounds per square inch differential (psid).

12. A completion assembly apparatus for preventing tubing casing annulus (TCA) communication during the production of a hydrocarbon-bearing fluid, the completion assembly apparatus comprising:
a polished bore receiver assembly having a smooth interior surface and an internal diameter; and
a hybrid sealing assembly comprising a shear screw housing, a swell packer sub and a seal stack assembly coupled in series, where the hybrid sealing assembly is located within the polished bore receiver assembly such that an interior volume of the completion assembly apparatus is defined;
where the shear screw housing defines a fluid bypass channel that is operable to convey a fluid between the interior and an exterior of the completion assembly apparatus,
where the swell packer sub comprises an unswollen swellable packer having a diameter that is less than the interior diameter of the polished bore receiver assembly, has an internal fluid conduit having a first outer diameter and is located downstring from shear screw housing along the hybrid sealing assembly,
where the unswollen swellable packer comprises an elastomeric material that is operable to swell upon exposure to a swelling material such that a swollen swellable packer forms that contacts the interior diameter of the polished bore receiver assembly and forms a frictional seal,
where the seal stack assembly comprises a non-swelling seal sub, has an internal fluid conduit having a second outer diameter and is located downstring from the swell packer sub, where the second outer diameter is larger than the first outer diameter, and
where the non-swelling seal sub comprising a non-swelling elastomer having an external diameter equal to the interior diameter of the polished bore receiver assembly and contacts the smooth interior surface of the polished bore receiver assembly such that a frictional seal forms.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 where the swelling material is an inhibited hydrocarbon fraction of crude oil.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 where the swelling material is an aqueous solution.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 where the swelling material is the hydrocarbon-bearing material.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 where the hybrid sealing assembly couples to the polished bore receiver assembly such that the hybrid sealing assembly is not operable to move laterally within the polished bore receiver assembly.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 where the hybrid sealing assembly couples to the polished bore receiver assembly using shearable screws attached to the shear screw housing through the polished bore receiver assembly.

18. The apparatus of claim 12 where the frictional seal formed by the swollen swellable packer is operable to provide a pressure rating differential against natural gas at wellbore temperatures of up to and including 10,000 pounds per square inch differential (psid).

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co
• Saudi Arabia Oil Company

Inventors

• Al-Rabeh Majed N

Classifications

• E21B43/10

  Setting of casings, screens, liners {or the like} in wells · CPC title

• E21B23/06 Primary

  for setting packers · CPC title

• E21B33/1208

  characterised by the construction of the sealing or packing means (E21B33/1277 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E21B33/10 Primary

  in the borehole {(sealing the junction between main bore and laterals E21B41/0042)} · CPC title

• E21B33/1285

  by fluid pressure · CPC title